patti smith -- commercial discography

This discography is by no means complete. There are many import
singles and EPs not listed. It does list all of Patti's albums
and a good cross section of her singles and EPs.

SINGLES / EPs

"Hey Joe" (Version) / "Piss Factory" (1974)

Mer Records, # 601 -- no picture sleeve (PS)

"Gloria" / "My Generation" (1976)

("My Generation" was recorded live in Cleveland on 1/26/76.)
Arista Records AS 0171 (US)
Arista Records/Pathe Marconi/EMI 2C.010-97.523 (France)
Arista Records ARISTA 135 (UK) (12" 45 RPM single)
Note: Early issues of the British single were released with
"My Generation" censored. (Patti not happy about that!)

"Pissing In A River" / "Ask The Angels" (1976)

Arista Records/EMI Electrola 1 C 062-98 283 (Germany)

"Ask The Angels" / "Time Is On My Side" (1977)

Arista/Pathe Marconi/EMI 2C 006-98.529 (France)
This is available only as a French import.
Note: "Time Is On My Side" was recorded live - lousy
quality copy. (Paris performance, Oct 21, 1976)

"Hey Joe" / "Radio Ethiopia" (1977)

Arista/Pathe Marconi/EMI 2C 052-60.133 z (France)
(12" 45 RPM single) This is available only as a French import.
This is a hard one to get. Nice picture sleeve of Patti on burro.
Note: "Hey Joe" is the same as on Mer # 601, and "Radio
Ethiopia" was recorded live at CBGB's on June 5, 1977.

"Hey Joe" (Version) / "Piss Factory" (1977)

Sire Records SRE 1009 (US)
Sire Records/SIAE SAA 740 (Italy)
(Reissue of Mer #601)
The US version has a nice picture sleeve of Patti photographed by
Robert Mapplethorpe. The Italian version has a tinted B/W
photo of Patti in Keith Richards T-shirt on the sleeve.

Arista Records AS 0453 Promo (US)
(7" 3 song EP)
Note: "5-4-3-2-1" was recorded live in NY, May 23, 1979.
Note also that the label mistakenly claims that "So You Want"
is a live recording from the same show, down to the Thom Panunzio/PSG
production credit. It is only a truncated (3:56) version of the
Rundgren-produced LP version (4:18).

"Frederick" / "Fire of Unknown Origin" (1979)

Arista Records ARIST 264 (UK)
Arista Records 6RS-30 (Japan)
Note: "Fire of Unknown Origin" (one of Patti's early poems)
is only on the 3 song EP and this single.

Arista 38931-2 (Germany)
Extended-play cd single with
four tracks:
"Summer Cannibals" |
"Come Back Little Sheba" (quiet, pretty acoustic song with Patti on acoustic
guitar, Lenny on autoharp, and Tony on acoustic bass) |
"Come On In My Kitchen" (Robert Johnson blues song) |
"People Have the Power" (Dream of Life version).
This cd is available from CD Now

Producer: Jimmy Iovine
"Till Victory", "Space Monkey", "Because The Night", "Ghost
Dance", "Babelogue", "Rock'N'Roll Nigger" -- side 1
"Privilege (Set Me Free)", "We Three", "25th Floor", "High
On Rebellion", "Easter" -- side 2
(SPART 1043 - UK) (18RS-9 - Japan)
(AB 4171 - US) (ARCD 8166 - US, CD)
(Kong Mei Record Co., LTD. KM-2198 - Taiwan) This record has a flimsy paper
cover with the picture of Patti's group on the back in B/W.
(Arista Records/Pathe Marconi/EMI PIC 5 - France) This version of EASTER,
released in 1979, is a picture disk with the album front cover picture (Patti) on side
1 and the back cover picture (her group) on side 2.
Special Note: Patti's original intent was to call this
album Rock'N'Roll Nigger -- she was advised not to.

Digitally re-mastered CD versions of the first 5 albums, complete with all the
liner notes from the original vinyl and some bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are as follows:
Horses:
"My Generation" |
Radio Ethiopia:
"Chiklets" |
Easter:
"Godspeed" |
Wave: "Fire of Unknown Origin" & a live version of "54321/Wave" |
Dream of Life: "As the Night Goes By" & "Wild Leaves."

The track order on Dream of Life is changed to "People Have the Power," "Up There Down There," "Paths That Cross," "Dream of Life," "Where Duty Calls," Going Under," "Looking for You (I Was)," and "The Jackson Song" (followed by 2 bonus tracks).

This set is numbered. The set also includes a 6th disc (promo sampler):
Selected Songs with "Gloria," "Redondo Beach," "Ask the Angels," "Because the Night," "Babelogue/Rock 'N' Roll Nigger," "Dancing Barefoot," "People Have the Power," "Paths That Cross," "Gone Again," and "Summer Cannibals."

The packaging is a mostly unembellished charcoal-gray box. The art direction is excellent, including a new version of the Radio Ethiopia cover photo, interesting lines in patti's handwriting on the discs themselves, and various other details. Cover photo for Selected Songs is by Annie Leibovitz.
(Arista Records 07822-18933-2 -- US)

SPECIAL PROMO STUFF

An interview with Patti for radio airplay on a one-sided disc.
(about 11 minutes) Excellent!

Earth News : Two tracks for the week of Jan 12, 1976.

Two more tracks for the week of Nov 29, 1976. (up-to-date info)

Rock Around the World # 207 (1978)

LP for radio airplay, including interview and concert cuts from
Patti's performance in Cleveland. For the week of July 23, 1978.

Todd Rundgren/Radio Sampler (1979) (Bearsville PRO-A-788)

Side 2 of this LP is a conversation with Todd Rundgren and Patti.

CD Sampler (1988) (Arista Records ASCD 9683)

An Arista CD of six songs, "Gloria" and "Redondo Beach" from Horses, "Ask The Angels" from Radio Ethiopia, "Because The Night" and "Space Monkey"
from Easter, and "Dancing Barefoot" from Wave -- This CD was released promo only.

Two CD promo singles -- each with different length versions of
the same song. (Arista Records)

BMG-Ariola CR/SR (74321-28525-2 -- Czech Republic) (1996)
Patti and John Cale play on the song "Perfect Moon,"
same lyrics as the poem "december" in Early Work.
Inside the CD is this hand-written poem:

when you move thru the forest
you will find me nothing
but a willow that bends
don't touch these limbs
that bend
don't touch
if you should move thru the
forest see that

Patti Smith 28.2.1995

Les Nouvelles Polyphonies CorsesIn Paradisu

Mercury/Phillips 1996
Produced by John Cale and David Young
On track 13, "Dies Irae", Patti Smith introduces the
song with a recitation of an original poem.

Giorno Poetry Systems Tapes GPS 016 (1979)
This is available only in cassette form (two tapes).
Patti appeared with other poets and performers at this event,
which was recorded 12/2/78. She did a "Poem for Jim Morrison
& Bumblebee".

Note: Patti has appeared on other Giorno Poetry systems LP's,
such as You're A Hook, GPS 030 (includes "Histories of The
Universe" and "Fire of Unknown Origin" performed at the Nova
Convention 12/78) -- also "Seven Ways of Going" from St. Mark's Church
(1975) and "No Jestering" (Lenny Kaye -- same as on the bootleg 7").
"Parade" was on the Sugar, Alcohol and Meat compilation.

Additional info: The "Histories of The Universe" performance is not
complete on Cash Cow.
The full-length legitimate release first appeared on Big Ego.
This was put out by Giorno Poetry Systems Institute (GPS 012-013).
The reading was recorded at St Mark's church, New York, Jan 1, 1975 and is
7min 46 sec in length.
This reading was part of the St Mark's Poetry Project's annual marathon New
Years day poetry reading.

Another complete version of "Histories of the Universe" is on the Live in London double bootleg album on Smilin' Ears Records. By the sound quality
on Live in London it appears they got this straight off a copy of Big Ego.

Blank Generation -- The New York Scene (1975-78)

Rhino 71175 (1993)
Includes "Ask the Angels."

No Alternative

Arista 07822-18737-2 (1993)
Patti does an a capella song to Robert Mapplethorpe entitled
"Memorial Song," apparently from her Central Park Summerstage reading in 1993.

was supposed to come out on META label -- now up in the air
Lizzy Mercier Descloux (French poet/singer) was asked by Bill Laswell to record an Arthur Rimbaud poem on this album including performances by Iggy Pop, John Cale, William Burroughs, etc. Lizzy asked Patti to do this
poem together. They recorded the track in New York in August '95 -- Patti in English, Lizzy in French. They chose "Matinée d'ivresse" from the book Les Illuminations. (more detailed info to follow)

*** Question ***

-- Is there an LP of the 1978 King Biscuit Flower Hour that featured
Patti? Tom Bessoir reports he has a King Biscuit Flower Hour on tape, but it is from 1/76 not '78. It was recorded at The Cellar Door in Washington DC
and broadcast live. The KBFH broadcast 6 songs for a total of 20 minutes.

OTHER

A 30-minute cassette was released in 1978 in Germany by
by S Press Tonbandverlag (Nicolaus Einhorn and Michael Kohleer).
It is a recording of poems read at the "Galerie Veith Turske" in
Koln, October '77.

This file was put together by John D. deGozzaldi <jdd@world.std.com> and now includes major revisions and additions by Fiona Webster, w/ help from several individuals who are credited on this page.
corrections/additions? contact
j. bolt <eltyger@pipeline.com>